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The parable of the second arrow is a well-known Buddhist story about dealing with suffering more skilfully. It is said the Buddha once asked a student,
‘If a person is struck by an arrow, is it painful? If the person is struck by a second arrow, is it even more painful?’
He then went on to explain,
‘In life, we can’t always control the first arrow. However, the second arrow is our reaction to the first. This second arrow is optional.’
I used this one recently in the Christianity subform.
There is another fable in Siamese history about a monk who was so handsome that women would not leave him alone. So he ate himself fat, thus making himself unattractive to women.
That's what I had to do. Sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do.
I stumbled upon that parable in my early days of mindfulness meditation. For me it provided a solid context as to the purpose of my practice at that time, and it definitely bears fruit. I went through periods of 5 or 6 months on and then 5 or 6 months off and the quality of being between the two is stark. All the distractions that arise and are gently let go of, returning to the object of attending, are the tiny seeds of thought that percolate from the subconscious, and if left unchecked manifest as thought trains and the potential for emotional reaction.
Like Jesus did. But when you live a great, fulfilling, and long life, you can provide more detail.
The real accomplishment is finding Enlightenment. And then providing that for every sentient being. That would be the truly heroic thing to do, rather than favoring cronyism (which is what the corrupt flock to).
Jesus is a live today. Buddha isn't. Big difference.
Jesus is a live today. Buddha isn't. Big difference.
Except that billions of us don't believe Jesus is alive today...unless maybe he was that homeless person begging at the intersection the other day...he sorta looked like Jesus.
neither do many Buddhists think Buddha was mortal.
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